by Lorie Lewis Ham
This year the Enchanted Playhouse in Visalia is closing its season with a play called A Walk in the Woods, written by local writer/director/teacher Debbie Metzler. Originally staged at Enchanted nine years ago, this fairytale character filled show and first play of Debbie’s, has gone through several revisions since that time.
A Walk in the Woods takes place in Grimm Woods, not far from the village where Mother Goose lives, shared director Kay Whistler. “Every day is an adventure in these woods! Join the chase as Goldilocks flees from the Three Bears and runs into Little Red Riding Hood, who could use a little help getting her basket to Grandmother’s–no easy task when a rascally Wolf is lurking about! Make your way along the path with Jack Horner, always on the run himself, as he and Goldilocks join forces to save Hansel & Gretel. But beware the old Witch! So many of your favorite storybook characters are here as you wind your way through A Walk in the Woods.”
This is Kay’s sixth show with Enchanted. She directed A Walk in the Woods the first time as well. When they were looking for shows for this season, she ran across the script and thought it would be fun to do it again, this time with the author as her co-director. “This show has been requested by teachers and the public, and because it is such a delightful story I wanted to do it again.”
There are 21 people in the cast, with all but five of them being between the ages of nine and 18. “Something I think is special is that we have a family of four that are in the cast,” said Kay. Michael Murphy is a pastor and is playing the wolf, his wife Carrie is playing Mama Bear, their daughter Molly is Jill, and son Zane is Hansel. There are actually several cast members that are related to one another.
“In the true sense of community involvement, the cast for the show comes from all walks of life,” stated Enchanted board member Don Williams. “We have students, teachers, youth ministers; you name it from novice, first-time performers to seasoned actors.”
This fairytale filled show opens April 29 and will run through May 15. For more information on tickets and show times check out Enchanted’s theatre page here at KRL. To learn more about this wonderful children’s theatre, check out KRL’s profile of the Enchanted Playhouse.
While I haven’t seen A Walk in the Woods, I can say I’ve never been disappointed by a show at the Enchanted Playhouse. My children and I have been attending shows there since they were little and even as teenagers they still love going. So this is a perfect outing for the entire family.
Watch for another Local Live, here next Wednesday at 7 p.m
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